So whats the most amount of hours you have put on your boat or have seen on a boat. and what are the problems your boat has had. I ask because i am looking at getting a boat with high hours but am wondering if that is a bad idea. How many hours on a boat are many???? Is a boat with 1000 hrs like a car with 100,000 miles?

My dad has an 07 x2 and it has 650 hrs on it right now. Engine problems so far have been fuel pump went out two years ago. Other thatn that engine wise it has been great. I really want this thread to be about boat with really high hours so i can get an idea on how long a boat can last.

When I lived up north we didn't put that many hours on because of the short season and cold water . My 89 PCM 351 has 770 hours now no problems only routine maintenance has been done . Still runs like a top. Now that we live in the south we are out a lot more often.My 08 PCM 5.7L just topped 500 hours .The only thing that has been done is oil changes and impellers. Maybe I'm just lucky but I will never own any boat without a PCM drivetrain. I think its safe to say 1000 hours is more like 50k on a car. You should expect 2000 hours on a boat engine under normal conditions. Even more with better maintenance procedures.

I had a boat with a PCM Python with around 670 hrs, and had no engine issues, just some ancilliary parts like a starter, circulating water pump, no other issues. Some friends purchased the boat this spring and have had no issues other than the alternator go bad.
I have a friend with a Ski Nautique/PCM engine with over 900 hours no problems.
I have heard about 2500 hours is the time frame in which the engine should be freshened up, it will depend on how much ballast you're running, how well your boat is propped to handle that load, and how well the engine is maintained.

I have seen engines with over 3,000 hours and still running strong. Regular oil changes, good maintenance practices, good winter layup make an engine last a long time. Fuel pumps, spark plugs and wires, exhaust manifolds, and throttle bodies are all wear items that will need replacement. A well maintained block regularly lasts over 3,500 hours. Trannys- change fluids every other year. Coupler at 1,500-2,000 hours and they will last a long time as well. Steering cable, strut cutlass bearings, and rudder shaft bushings are wear items.

Yes, between 1,500 and 2,500 hours you will have some maintenance cost - but a lot cheaper than 3 new boat payments.

As long as maintenance records were provided I wouldn't hesitate on a high hour boat - 800-1000, beyond that I don't want other peoples problems. I would run a boat up to infinite as long as it didn't give me trouble... I have friends with boats of the same year, hour meter is broken on one, we suspect its got 1500-2000 hrs, it runs better than the 600 hr boat...

My family boat just hit 803, only thing was fuel pump which was partially our fault. Impellers and other maintenance items, vinyl due to age/use...

I sold one of my previous Nautique's (1991) with 2100 original hours on it to one of my buddies 5 years ago. he now has close to 2800 hours on it with no problems to date. (knock on wood) I changed the oil every 50 hrs. & tranny fluid every 100 and did all routine keep ups (impellers, spark plugs, wires, ect.). It all depends on how it was maintained and driven. Go out with the previous owner and see how he drives it. Make sure he doesn't use reverse as a brake (slamming the boat from forward to reverse) will give you a ideal on how it has been driven.

We have an awesome 07 Malibu VLX that has been the go to boat for our crew. Routine up keep has not been missed, not one major engine problem, and our lake drive is less than 10 miles, so the trailer very few miles. The only thing I have started to wonder what it worth. The boat is tricked out with all wet sounds, imacualate exterior, with only a couple of seams starting to split that will be repaired at the end of the season. I used to be very proud of the hours, but know I'm starting to wonder.....1136 hours our pride and joy!

With all the hidden ballast, a couple hidden pop bags, many still say the wake is awesome. Sometimes I get the itch for new, but it's paid for....I think we will just keep it. I only wonder what it's worth.
JHolmes

John - your boat is worth the replacement cost of a new boat..... So, if the itch is scratched at $90k, your boat is worth $90k to you. Now, your boat is worth what someone else is willing to pay for it - from another perspective. There is a huge gap between those two numbers to consider.....

Most car motors average around 35-40mph (stop and go, interstate, and idle driving), so figure a boat motor with 1000 hours is like a car motor with 35k - 40k miles. Like stated above, it's all about maintenance. Boat motors need more scheduled maintenance because they are used inconsistently. Just make sure they have good records.

It must be nice to live in an area where you can rack up +1000 hours on a boat!

^ I strongly disagree with that sentiment. Even though the number of oil changes is the same for 1000 hrs and 60k miles, I think 1000hrs is much more. Depends on the use and abuse like people said, also, I know someone who has 800 hrs on their 2003 boat, many MANY hours were spent idling listening to the stereo. When my family's boat was newer, it would never just sit and idle for 5 minutes, much less hours... this season with my weak battery, that is different, but still, when we are on the boat, we are riding, not booze cruising or sitting with the engine running...

Not only that, but now-a-days, cars are built so well and people still trade in with the mentality of 70k is a lot. I think 200k is a good number for a car. I had a saturn that went 250 on one motor - had a leaky head gasket and uncle gave me a motor with 70k, swapping motors was cheaper than doing the head gasket. The shell now has 300k on it... I think 200k and 1000hrs are similar use figure.

400 hours on mine right now It's a 2006 that first saw water in 2007. I'm going to change the impellor next season whether it needs it or not. :O I did change the plugs this year. The oil gets changed regularly.
Over 3000 hours on my 1980 Grew I/O. It blows a little smoke and could use a rebuild but it's a 470 Merc so it's not worth fixing. It was seriously abused and over revved in it's youth and has only been completely under water for a few hours so I think that's pretty good. It's outlasted two hour meters and it just seemed pointless to keep replacing them.
Look for maintenance records and talk to the owners to see what their attitude is. That can tell you a lot about how well looked after it is.
(Delta, i've a friend with 800k on her Saturn. She traded her first in with 450k. No major repairs so needless to say she's a bit upset they aren't around anymore)

^ Holy schnikeys! I don't know if we have the same impeller - merc 350mpi 315hp and the black scorpion but I had an impeller go out at 225 and when it temporarily overheated it fried the fuel pump which is water cooled... now I change it every 100 to be safe.

To the OP, if the price is right, I say load me up with hours! High hours, high miles mean better deal!

Just an additional data point, my truck has 43,000 miles and it shows 1263 hours. First 20,000 miles was a daily driver second 20,000 mostly towing on the freeway. I have no idea if this means anything lol.

We are lucky to have great lake access and we really do take advantage of it. No idleing around for us, we love to ride. I guess we will try and turn 1200 before we winterize!!! Sorry for the hijack.....rack'em up!

I would say 500 hours is about the same as 100k on a car as far as perception.

In reality I have zero idea. I would think 1000 hours on a boat would be about 100k on a car if they were both maintained correctly and not loaded/beat on.

I think car motors are crazy good these days. We have a 2007 HHR with the 2.0L we use as a delivery vehicle. It is mostly highway miles but gets plently of stop and start and has 207k miles. We have done zero, and I mean zero to the engine except change oil/filters.

Just an additional data point, my truck has 43,000 miles and it shows 1263 hours. First 20,000 miles was a daily driver second 20,000 mostly towing on the freeway. I have no idea if this means anything lol.

Car hours are not the same as boat hours. It'd be more accurate if your truck towed fully loaded up a steep grade in 2nd gear the whole time for all those miles/hours to equal a boat, which is overcoming constant water drag and additional stress and drag due to heavily loading it... plus more starts and stops with boats... and constantly turning 3-4k rpm instead of a truck rolling down the highway coasting at times around 1800-2300 rpm...

I'd agree with that brett, which is my basis for saying 1000hrs is closer to 200k by my assessment...

I thought we were talking about boat MOTORS? I made my assumption by talking about the motor and not the condition of the whole boat. Yes, a high mile boat will need parts replaced, just like those +200k mile cars.

So how many people have had a high hour boat and the motor blew....and blew because of the wear and tear of high hours? I'm by no means an expert, I have a 3 month season, so anything over 300 hours is high in my neck of the woods.

my 1982 SN2001 had 1386 hours on it when i bought it. and the hour gauge was stuck/frozen when i got it we put another 600+ hours on it before we sold it. still on the origonal motor. replaced the rusted exhuast that was it. just added gas. these things run forever.

We have an awesome 07 Malibu VLX that has been the go to boat for our crew. Routine up keep has not been missed, not one major engine problem, and our lake drive is less than 10 miles, so the trailer very few miles. The only thing I have started to wonder what it worth. The boat is tricked out with all wet sounds, imacualate exterior, with only a couple of seams starting to split that will be repaired at the end of the season. I used to be very proud of the hours, but know I'm starting to wonder.....1136 hours our pride and joy!

With all the hidden ballast, a couple hidden pop bags, many still say the wake is awesome. Sometimes I get the itch for new, but it's paid for....I think we will just keep it. I only wonder what it's worth.
JHolmes

John, your boat is very clean and the wake is definitely dialed in. I'm impressed with your VLX everytime I see you on Belton.

Posted this before, maybe not here, but I work at GM powertrain. We make your long block (if you have a 5.7), and then they get marinized by a couple companies.

When I was buying my boat, I spoke to the validation engineers that work on industrial application (boats, fork lifts, etc). They told me the 5.7 normally makes it over 3000 hours on the dyno at 80% + duty cycle for that period before problems start appearing. Thats 80% or above load, all the time for 3000 hours, non stop.

Keep the engine well maintained, and in general it should outlast your desire to own the boat. I agree people get scared with boats over 500 hours, but really the only thing that worries me at that point is the condition of the vinyl.

Really bottom line is it comes down to care. The problem when buying a boat is you really have no clue what the guy before you did. We have been looking for a few months now and have seen boats over a 1000 hrs that looked great and ones with under 500 that were newer and trashed. I would just make sure to have a higher hour boat checked better. As in a survey and mechanical inspection by a professional. Worth the couple hundred bucks if the find anything. The piece of mind is PRICELESS if they don't!!